Scotts Bluff County is a
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
on the western border of the
U.S. state of
Nebraska
Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
. As of the
2020 United States census, the population was 36,084.
Its
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
is
Gering, and its largest city is
Scottsbluff. Scotts Bluff County is included in the Scottsbluff, NE
Micropolitan Statistical Area. In the
Nebraska license plate system, Scotts Bluff County is represented by the prefix 21, since the county had the twenty-first-largest number of registered vehicles registered when the state's license-plate system was established in 1922.
History
The county is named for a prominent bluff that served as a landmark for 19th-century pioneers traveling along the
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in North America that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what ...
. Scotts Bluff was named for
Hiram Scott, a
Rocky Mountain Fur Company trapper who died nearby around 1828.
Washington Irving
Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...
claimed that, after being injured and abandoned, Scott had crawled sixty miles only to perish near the bluff that now bears his name. The bluff is now managed by the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
as
Scotts Bluff National Monument.
The town of Gering was founded at the base of the bluff in 1887, and the city of Scottsbluff was founded across the North
Platte River in 1900. Joined by the river, the former transportation highway, the two cities now form Nebraska's 7th-largest
urban area
An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...
.
Transportation
Scotts Bluff County Airport (BFF) is Nebraska's third-busiest
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
in terms of passenger boardings.
Geography
Scotts Bluff County is on the west side of Nebraska. Its west boundary line abuts the east boundary line of the state of
Wyoming
Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
. The
North Platte River flows east-southeastward through the upper central part of the county. The county's terrain consists of arid rolling hills, about half of which is dedicated to agriculture. The county's lands slope to the east-southeast.
The county has an area of , of which is land and (0.8%) is water.
Major highways
*
U.S. Highway 26
*
Nebraska Highway 29
*
Nebraska Highway 71
*
Nebraska Highway 92
Adjacent counties
*
Sioux County – north
*
Box Butte County – northeast
*
Morrill County – east
*
Banner County – south
*
Goshen County, Wyoming – west
Protected areas
* Kiowa State Wildlife Management Area
* Lake Minatare State Recreation Area
*
North Platte National Wildlife Refuge
*
Scotts Bluff National Monument
* Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area
Demographics
As of the
2000 United States Census,
there were 36,951 people, 14,887 households, and 10,167 families in the county. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 16,119 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 87.58%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.27%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 1.88%
Native American, 0.57%
Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 8.02% from
other races, and 1.63% from two or more races. 17.19% of the population were
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race. 39.5% were of
German, 8.6%
English and 6.8%
Irish ancestry.
There were 14,887 households, out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.20% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.70% were non-families. 27.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.97.
The county population contained 25.90% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 25.40% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,016, and the median income for a family was $38,932. Males had a median income of $30,317 versus $20,717 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the county was $17,355. About 11.00% of families and 14.50% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 22.00% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
The economy of Scotts Bluff County is based on agriculture, with the primary crops being sugar beets, corn, and beans.
Communities
Cities
*
Gering (county seat)
*
Minatare
*
Mitchell
*
Terrytown
*
Scottsbluff
Villages
*
Henry
*
Lyman
*
McGrew
*
Melbeta
*
Morrill
Unincorporated communities
*
Bradley
*
Haig
Precincts
*
Castle Rock
*
Dewey Tabor
*
East Winters Creek
*
Fanning
*
Ford
*
Funston
*
Gering
*
Highland
Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...
*
Kiowa
*
Mitchell
*
Roubadeau
*
West Winters Creek
Politics
Scotts Bluff County voters have been reliably Republican for decades. In no national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).
See also
*
Lake Minatare Lighthouse
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska
References
{{authority control
1888 establishments in Nebraska
Populated places established in 1888